BTS Philly – Beat the Streets

Coach with Beat the Streets Philly!

Posted on September 26, 2019October 22, 2019 by Dan Altomare

To learn about openings at specific sites, please complete our Coaching Interest Form and we will contact you shortly!

Below is a summary of the different types of programs supported by Beat the Streets:

High School Programs

Season: 11/19/19 – 03/07/20

Practice Schedule: M-F (3:30p – 5:00p); some programs may vary slightly

Competition Schedule:

League Duals: W/F (3:30-5:00p)

Tournaments: Variable. All programs require some weekend availability
High School Scholastic Partners are school-sponsored wrestling programs (competing in the PIAA) supported in part through Beat the Streets Philadelphia.

Programs operate according to a standard high school practice/competition schedule; beginning in mid-November and continuing through the PIAA State Championships in March.

Teams wrestle in dual meets (competing in the Philadelphia Public League) on Wednesdays & Fridays throughout a portion of the season and compete in some weekend tournaments as well.

Positions are currently available at multiple locations throughout Philadelphia.

Middle School Programs

Season: 11/19/19 – 02/16/20

Practice Schedule: M-F (3:30p – 5:00p); some programs may vary slightly

Competition Schedule:

League Duals: Sat. (9:00a – 12:00p)

Tournaments: Sunday, February 17th

Middle School Scholastic programs are school-sponsored middle school wrestling teams (grades 6-8), sponsored by Beat the Streets Philadelphia.

These programs practice twice per week, immediately after school, beginning in late November (date variable based on program) with practices continuing through mid-February.

From a ‘competitive’ standpoint, wrestlers participate in (2) weekend dual or tri-meets throughout the month of January & our end of season tournament takes place in mid-February.

Club Programs (Community-Based)

Season: 11/19/19 – 02/16/20

Practice Schedule: 2 weeknights per week; varies by program

Competition Schedule:

League Duals: Sat. (9:00a – 12:00p)

Tournaments: Sunday, February 17th

Outside Tournaments: variable based on program*

Community-Based Club Programs are open to wrestlers of all ages (grades K-12). Club practices take place on weekday evenings 2 days per week (variable by the program).

Additionally, wrestlers in grades K-8 are offered opportunities to wrestle ‘competitively’ through our intramural league which takes place throughout the month of January and our Philadelphia Wrestling Day in mid-February.

Through select programs, some more advanced/experienced wrestlers are offered a wider range of opportunities to compete.

Fargo Preview

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Dan Altomare

This article featuring our student-athletes will be updated over the next week, adding a couple of profiles each day. Stay tuned to learn more about the journeys of all 9 BTSP student-athletes who are qualified for the Fargo National Championships!
Daishawn Tilghman (Junior – 220)
Now a 3-time Fargo qualifier, Daishawn is ready to make the jump. In all 3 of his trips to the National Championships, he’s fallen just short of the podium to some very challenging opponents. This year, Daishawn is a proving to be a challenging opponent his competitors should not overlook.
After finishing 2nd in FS at NE Regionals, Daishawn is primed for a deep run.

Angel Garcia (US #18) (Junior – 170)
After unexpectedly coming home empty-handed last summer, Angel believes he has what it takes to earn double All-American status. Following two nice finals victories over National Preps 6th place finisher Caden Rogers (Malvern Prep), Angel is ready to buckle down, fine tune his technique, & get his mind right for July.
His path to the top of the podium will be far from easy, but that won’t deter Angel even in the slightest. Anyone stepping into the circle with Angel can look forward to a difficult, physical, six minutes.

Jameel Coles (Junior – 195)
After stepping away from freestyle/greco for a couple of years, Jameel is back & seems to have gotten the rust off nicely. Coles cruised a championship in freestyle & won the greco championships with a ‘flying squirrel’ in the waning seconds of the match!
After a 5th place finish at the PIAA State Tournament this past March & a 7th place finish at NHSCA Nationals, Jameel is rolling & feeling good about his chances heading into next month. Although his path that has included a few twists & turns over the past few years, we’re happy to see Jameel having fun wrestling & competing at a high level!

Tatyana Ortiz (Junior – 106)
In her final Fargo campaign, Taty is locked in & focused on her goal of climbing the Fargo podium. A senior, she’s the seasoned veteran of the group & continues to set the example for Philadelphia wrestlers following in her footsteps.
Next year, Tatyana is looking forward to competing as an inaugural member of the East Stroudsburg University Wrestling Team! We’re so proud of how far Tatyana has come over the years & elated to see her getting the opportunity to continue wrestling that she deserves!

Grigol Khochishivili (Junior – 152)
Gaga, as his teammates call him, began combat sports at a young age as a competitor in Judo. He’d found a great deal of success in the sport, finishing 3rd nationally just a few years ago.
Entering high school, wrestling seemed like a somewhat natural fit. While he has enjoyed folkstyle, he found a real passion for Greco-Roman wrestling last spring. He qualified for Fargo in greco-roman 2018, but was unable to attend due to family commitments. After a successful folkstyle season, winning a DXII Championship & falling just short of the PIAA State Tournament, Gaga is prepared to make some noise nationally.
Despite placing 2nd at states in both styles, Gaga has elected to focus on greco as he prepares for Fargo. His goal is not just to get on the podium, but to climb as high as he can!

John Colburne (Cadet – 182)
In just his 2nd year competing in freestyle/greco-roman wrestling, John is just scratching the surface of his potential. With big throws & a relentless attacking style, John powered his way to a 3rd place finish in freestyle & 2nd in greco. In addition to qualifying for the National Championships, John is also incredibly excited to have earned the opportunity to train at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center!
John’s growth over the last year has not come by accident. His hard work, embrace of the grind, and emergence as a ‘student of the sport’ has really shined this spring. We have no doubt that John is going to impress at Fargo!

Steven Foster (Junior – 106)
Steven has taken the path less traveled by many wrestlers. After spending a majority of his youth competing in boxing, Steven began wrestling freestyle & greco just last spring with no real experience in folkstyle. Steven took to both olympic styles quite naturally in 2018 & qualified for Fargo despite his newness to the sport; a fantastic accomplishment!
This year, Steven is back & he has set the bar even higher. After finishing 2nd in freestyle & 1st in greco, with a full-year of wrestling experience under his belt, it’s going to be exciting to see how his Fargo campaign plays out.

Mohammed Savriddinov (Cadet – 132)
Mohammed “Mo” Savriddinov has been training out of Rizzo PAL this spring & it’s great to see his hard work pay off! A freshman at Council Rock South, Mo has been excited to continue improving all spring!
After a nice showing in freestyle, finishing 5th, Mo wrestled through a tough field on Sunday to finish 3rd in Greco-Roman. Our lone freshman qualifier, we’re very proud of Mo & excited for him to experience the Fargo for his first time!

Reynaldo Garcia (Cadet – 145)
After having his spring season cut short last year following a neck injury, Rey has been hungry to bounce back this spring! After great performances at NHSCA’s, Northeast Regionals, & Easton Freestyle Duals, Rey had some well-deserved confidence heading into the state tournament.
With confidence & high energy, Reynaldo dominated opponents on his way to a finals berth in both styles. While he ultimately fell short to a tough opponent in 2x PIAA State Medalist Paniro Johnson (Erie Cathedral Prep), Garcia walked away with a lot to build on over the course of the next few weeks. We’re very proud of the progress Rey has made & we’re elated to see him earn an opportunity that he’s worked so hard toward!
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Providing truly unique experiences to student-athletes, like Fargo, takes a community effort. With the support of our community, we have a goal of raising $10,000; which would fully cover the cost of Fargo for the 9 qualified student-athletes. Beyond exposure to wrestling on a national stage, the Fargo experience provides kids an opportunity to build lasting relationships with wrestlers from all over the US, to train with world-level clinicians, and (for some) to leave the city of Philadelphia for the first time! For these kids who have worked so hard, we ask that you please help us provide a positively life-altering experience that each of them deserves!
Donations can be made through Facebook or through our website directly. If donating through our website, please write Fargo Fundraiser in the ‘comments’ section of the Donate Now page

NE Regional Tournament Preview

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Dan Altomare

Thus far, the 2017-18 season has been a year of tremendous growth for the Philadelphia Public League! A record-high 29 PPL wrestlers will make the trip this weekend to Bethlehem Liberty High School to compete in the PIAA Northeast Regional Tournament. Congratulations to all PPL qualifiers; you continue to make us proud!
Below are just a few of the most interesting storylines headed into the weekend:

106lbs–Tatiyana Ortiz (MBA)

Two years ago, Ortiz broke through barriers in the sport of wrestling by becoming the first female district qualifier in PPL history. In 2015, her qualification forced the Philadelphia Catholic League to change rules that barred Catholic school wrestlers from competing against females. Since that point, girls wrestling in the city of Philadelphia has grown tremendously; a large part of that is to her credit.
Fast-forward to this season and Ortiz is continuing to have a substantial impact on the sport. This weekend, Ortiz will become the first female wrestler to compete in the PIAA NE Regional Tournament as she is slated to face off against Matt Mayer of Bethlehem Catholic in the prelims. It will be interesting to see if the Archdiocese of Allentown follows suit with Philadelphia. A change to this ruling could be yet another step in the right direction for women’s wrestling!
126lbs–Reynaldo Garcia (MBA) & Zamire Rice (OVB)
126 is a LOADED weight class in the NE Region; with 5 guys ranked inside the top #15 by PA Power Wrestling. Within the weight class, however are two underrated wrestlers from the Public League with a lot of talent. Garcia & Rice have gone back and forth this season and given each other some great matches. This postseason, in fact, Rice’s only 2 losses have come at the hands of Garcia. It will surely be a lot of fun to see these two young guns put their aggressive styles to the test.
138lbs–Mike Rubino (NE)
At the beginning of the season, Mike won an appeal for a 5th year of eligibility with the PIAA. In his final season of high school wrestling Mike has shined with a 33-6 record. After a 3rd place finish at the District XII Tournament, it will be interesting to see if Rubino can continue to make the most of his senior season.
152lbs–Lucien Anderson (CEN)
A regional qualifier in 2017, Anderson hopes to make his first trip to Hershey this season. He has cruised to league and district titles thus far, and we are now anxiously awaiting this weekend to see if he can get over the hump.

160lbs–Angel Garcia (MBA)
Angel finished 5th in the region last year, only one win away from qualifying for the state tournament. This offseason, Garcia has worked as hard as anyone to improve his skills; highlighted by a 3rd place finish in Greco-Roman at the Fargo National Championships. While Garcia has seldom been challenged in a match this season, this weekend will truly show where he stands amongst the elite in this weight class.

195lbs–Daishawn Tilghman (OVB)
As a freshman Tilghman made the most of his 5th seed at the regional tournament and went 2-2 at regionals. After qualifying for Fargo this summer and truly dedicating himself to the sport, things feel different this season. After winning the 1st district title in Overbrook history in absolutely dominating fashion, Tilghman is primed for another deep run. A trip to Hershey is undoubtedly within reach.
220lbs–Jameel Coles (NE)
Jameel has been nothing short of spectacular this season and his record speaks for itself. With an unblemished 37-0 record, he won league and district titles with seemingly relative ease. Coles will look to continue that dominance this weekend, against a far tougher field of opponents. How high can Coles climb on the podium? Only time will tell.

Once again, congratulations to all PPL regional qualifiers and congratulations to all PCL qualifiers as well. Let’s go District XII!
To follow this weekend’s action, brackets/updates can be found here.

Ronald Palmer

Posted on May 10, 2016 by BTSPhilly

Ronald Palmer had a feeling he was going to make a pretty good wrestler. He was stronger then most kids his age, his muscles honed from years of parkour and breakdancing. These unique pastimes gave Ronald a sense of body awareness, and flexibility that served him well on the wrestling mats. Ronald had almost unheralded success that most Philadelphia wrestlers fall short of achieving when they start their careers as freshmen. He became Mariana Bracetti’s first ever 2-time district champion, and joined the exclusive 100 wins’ club. More importantly however was how Ronald’s involvement in wrestling jumpstarted his academics. Although never a poor student, Ronald didn’t exactly emphasis his school work. Once he started having success on the mat, he realized if he wanted to wrestle in college, he would have to be successful in the classroom as well. Ronald exemplifies what Beats The Streets Philadelphia strives to do. For the first time in his life, he began taking honors level classes, and his hard work finally paid off. This fall Ronald is set to attend Kutztown University where he will continue wrestling and majoring in business. Although his high school wrestling career didn’t end how he would have liked, a heartbreaking overtime loss in a match that would’ve qualified him for states, Ronald cannot wait to get on the mats in college.